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17 January 2008
Hong Kong
When was the last time you snacked on a bag of chips or picked up a skewered-snack on the street? With the festive season upon us and friends’ gatherings throughout the year, Hong Kong people have every reason to ‘snack’ all they can. According to the latest Nielsen survey, 62 percent of Hong Kong people eat snacks and over two thirds eat ‘street snacks’ – a typical way of life for Hong Kongers.
The Nielsen Company conducted a survey to understand Hong Kong people’s snacking habits. The survey interviewed 1,000 consumers aged 15-54 via telephone from November 2nd to 9th, 2007.
As the survey reveals, of the 62 percent who eat pre-packed snacks, 35 percent snack occasionally, 12 percent snack regularly and 15 percent snack on impulse. Snacking is common for people of all ages, while females are more regular fans of snacks (74%).
Hong Kong people don’t need a special reason to eat snack. 14 percent claimed that they snack whenever they want during the day, a respective nine percent eat snacks when home alone or while working/reading. Most people (47%) snack while watching TV.
Table 1
“Snacking is such a way of life for Hong Kong people, and females are the biggest ‘snackers’ in spite of always claiming to be watching their weight,” said Miss Angel Young, Executive Director, Fast Moving Consumer Goods, The Nielsen Company, Hong Kong.
According to various Nielsen studies, there were more than 300 kiosks selling street snacks throughout Hong Kong -- and growing.
HomescanTM, a Nielsen consumer panel that continuously monitors the grocery shopping habits of 1,500 Hong Kong domestic households, also indicates that in the first three quarters of 2007, Hong Kong households spent more than HK$700 on pre-packed snacks and made an average of 27 shopping trips for snacks. The top 20 percent heavy snacks buyers spent an average of HK$200 on snacks with over seven shopping trips every month!
Table 2
“While Hong Kong people don’t need a reason to snack, the fast approaching Chinese New Year is just another occasion where they will buy them in abundance for themselves and friends!” added Miss Young.
According to Nielsen MarkekTrack, Chinese New Year is usually the peak season for snacks puchase. During the 2007 Chinese New Year, Hong Kong people spent over HK$330MM on Chocolates, Candies and Chips & Crisp. While during the past Christmas season, spending on these three pre-packed snacks categories exceeded HK$170MM.
Despite one third of Hong Kong people turning their noses up at street snacks, two thirds certainly welcome a bit of local flavor, found everywhere in town – and they are by no means ’beneath’ people of all walks of life – Professionals/managers/bosses/senior officials (10%); the white-collared (27%); students (15%) and housewives (16%) are all among the street-snacking crowds.
“The street snacking culture is not unique to Hong Kong and can be found in a number of Asia countries. However, Hong Kong probably has the greatest variety of local and Asian influences to meet locals’ diverse appetites and willingness to try new things,” Miss Young continued.
Among all pre-packed and street snack items, what are Hong Kong people’s favorites?
Chips, chocolates and candies top the most favorite pre-packed snacks list, while fish balls, siu mai/dumplings and deep-fried meat balls/tofu form the top three most popular street snacks among Hong Kong people.
Ranking |
Pre-packed Snacks |
% |
Ranking |
Street snacks |
% |
1 |
Chips & Crisp |
44% |
1 |
Fish Balls |
50% |
2 |
Chocolates |
36% |
2 |
Siu Mai/dumplings |
22% |
2 |
Candies |
36% |
3 |
Oil-fried meat balls/tofu |
15% |
Is health a concern for snackers?
“The Nielsen survey also unveils the schizophrenic side of some Hong Kong people who on the one hand cannot resist snacking and on the other, are worried about growing obesity trends,” observed Ms Chan.
According to the Nielsen survey, 36 percent of those who eat snacks are concerned that snacking is fattening and will lead to obesity, while 44 percent are not worried at all, particularly among men. That said, less than half would consider snacks offering some healthy elements such as less calories or use of vegetable oil etc.; and over half, especially young people aged 15-24 simply do not pay attention to the nutritional contents of snacks.
Table 3
About The Nielsen Company
The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), online intelligence (Nielsen Online and BuzzMetrics), mobile measurement, trade shows and business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek). The privately held company is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and New York, USA. For more information, please visit, www.nielsen.com
www.nielsen.com.
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